Locking-clamp for gates and the like.



APRLICATION FILED mmz's. 191s.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

CQLUMBZ A PLANOOIAPH C0,, WASHINGTON, n. c.

and useful Improvements ISRAEL L. LANDIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.-

LOCKING-CLAMP FOR GATES AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 11, 1916.

Application filed January 23, 1915. Serial No. 3,877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISRAEL L. LANDIS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new inLooking Clamps for Gates and the like, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in a locking-clamp, whichis particularly intended for use on farm gates of that type in which thegate can be adjusted vertically bodily, so as to permit the passage ofsmall animals thereunder, while barring larger ones, or if desired,angularly with re spect to the ground,"or so as to accommodate the gateto hill-side's or inclined ground; and while I have so shown it in theaccompanying drawing, and will hereinafter describe it in connectionwith such a gate, yet I desire it understood that I. do not limit itsapplication to gates only, as it is applicable for use in connectionwith other structures, and can be employed for clamping two or morepieces together in many devicesu The main object of the invention is toprovide a very simple,'inexpensive and efiicient looking-clamp of theabove mentioned general character, which can be readily applied to theparts to be clamped or held in their adjusted positions, and easilymanipulated, to permit of the desired adjustment of said parts, and itconsists in various details of construction and combination of parts,all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, which serves to illustrate the invention asapplied to a gate Figure 1, is a side view of a gate, showing its partsby continuous lines in their normal positions, and by dotted lines thepositions to which they can be vertically adjusted and held by means ofone of the looking clamps, another of said locking clamps being shown atthe hinged end of the gate for its bodily adjustment; Fig. 2 is avertical sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows Fig. 3 is a detached perspective viewof the lockinglever employed in the clamp at the lower front portion ofthe gate; Fig. 4c is a vertical sectional view taken on line 41 of Fig.1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 5 is adetached perspective view of the lever employed in the clamp used forthe bodily adjustment of the gate, and Fig. 6 is a fragmental face viewof a modified construction of the gate, and also illustrating amodification in the construction of the locking clamp for its hingedportion.

Corresponding numerals of reference refer to like parts throughout thedifferent views of the drawing.

Referring now to Fig. 1,-the reference numerals 10 and 11 designate theusual fixed gate posts, 13 a swinging sub-post, which is hinged to thepost 11 at suitable points thereon. The numerals 1 1 and 15 designatethe end battens of the gate proper, 16 the intermediate battens, and 17the horizontal slats or bars, which are pivoted to the battens.

13y reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 4 of the drawing, it will be understoodand seen that the battens are arranged in pairs embracing both sides ofthe horizontal slats or bars- The battens 1 1 are slidable verticallyagainst the adjacent face of the sub-post 13,

and are provided at their upper portions with oppositely mounted plates18, which are identical on both sides of the battens and are boltedthrough the latter. The rear portions of the plates 18 are bent over therear corners of the post 13 as at 19 (see Figs. 1 and 6), but said bentportions are separated sufficiently .to permit of the passagetherebetween of the upper hinge 20, which connects the subpost 13 to therear gate post 11, near its upper end. Below the pair of plates 18 thebattens 14 are provided on opposite surfaces thereof with horizontallyand rearwardly extending plates 21 and 22, which are secured to thebattens 14:

.by means of bolts 23, which have heads at one of their ends and nuts 24at their other ends. The plate 22- is provided with a downward extension25, which is slightly spaced from the batten 14, adjacent thereto, andis provided in its lower portion with an opening through which isextended a screw bolt 26, which is extended through both of the battensand one of the slats 17, and has on one of its ends a head and on itsother end a nut 27. Fulcrumed on the bolt 26, between the extension andthe batten 14 adjacent thereto is a looking lever 28, which is ofsubstantially the shape and construction shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing;that is, it has a flat portion 29, tapered toward its free end. The rearends of the plates 21 and 22 project rearwardly of the sub-post 13, andare connected by means of a bolt 30, which has on one of its ends a nut31, to be usedfor tightening or clamping said plates with respect to thesub or swinging post 13, should the side of the latter become worn byreason of the action of the flat portion 29 of the locking lever 28,which flat portion. is adapted to be inserted between the plate 22 andthe adjacent surface of the sub-post so as to hold the gate at thedesired point on the sub-post after being vertically and bodily adjustedthereon.

The frame of the gate is held rigidly in its rectangular form, shown bycontinuous lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and in different angular oroblique forms, one of which is shown in said figure by dotted lines, bymeans of a pair of diagonal bracebars 32 and 33, which are pivotallyconnected at'their upper ends to the upper ends of the battens 1%, atthe hinged end of the gate. At its lower extremity each of saidbrace-bars is slidable longitudinally between the faces of the frontpair of battens 16 and the clamping device used for sustaining the gatein its normal or angularly adjusted positions. This clamping device,shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, consists of a pair of headedbolts 3 and 35, extended transversely through the front pair of battens16, at their lower portions. The head ed portions of the bolts 3% andare connected by a plate 36, which is spaced from the battens 16 on oneside of the gate at a sufficient distance to permit of the brace bar 33being located between said plate and battens. The bolts 3% and 35 aresc"ew threaded near their ends opposite the heads of said bolts, andeach has mounted on its screw threaded portion a nut 37, which bearagainst a flat plate 38, which also connects the bolts 3 1 and 35, butnear their screw threaded ends. Connecting the bolts 34 and 35 inwardlyof the plate 38 is another flat plate 39, which rests against thebracebar 32, which is located on the opposite side of the batten 16 fromthat on which the first mentioned brace-bar is located. The plates 38and 39 are loosely mounted on the bolts 34: and 35, but are spaced apartso as to receive therebetween a locking lever, which is indicated as awhole by the reference numeral l0, which lever is fulcruined on one ofthe bolts, preferably the upper one 34:, of the clamping device nowunder consideration.

The lever 40 is of substantially the construction and shape shown inFig. 3 of the drawing; that is, it is beveled or wedge-shaped toward oneof its edges and has on its outer face a pin 41 to strike against theplate 38, so as to restrict the downward movement of said lever or theupward or opposite movement thereof, for it is obvious that by referenceto Fig. 1, when the lever is turned on its fulcrum so as to remove itsbeveled portion from between the plates 38 and 39, the pin 41 willstrike against the upper beveled portion 42 of the outer plate and thusprevent said lever turning farther on its fulcrum. By this arrangement,it is obvious that by turning the lever 10 downwardly between the.plates 38 and 39, the latter plate will be forced against the brace-bar32;

and at the same time the plate 36, which unites the bolts 34 and 35 onthe opposite side of the gate, will be drawn against the brace-bar 33,thus causing said bar as well as the bar 32, to be pressed against'thebattens 16, and thus holding the parts of the gate in their normal oradjusted positions. In order to change the positions of said parts, thelever 40 may be turned upwardly 011 its fulcrum, in which operation theclamping members will be loosened so that the parts of the gate may beshifted or adjusted to the desired positions, where they can be againfastened by turning the lever 10 downwardly.

In Figs. 1 and 6, a locking clamp for the bodily adjustment of the gateis employed and has been above described, and in each instance theconstruction of the members of said clamp is the same, but it will benoted in Fig. 6, that the position of the lever 28 and the extension 25on the clamping member 22 is reversed. With this exception theconstructions in said clamps are identical.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a locking clamp, the combinati witha support including the parts to be clamped, of a pair of bolts extendedthrough the support and. having a detachable connection near one oftheir ends, a pair of plates loosely mounted on said bolts near theirother ends, said plates having their adjacent surfaces plain or fiat anda suitably fulcrumed wedge-shaped lever positioned to be interposedbetween the pair of plates and having on one of its surfaces aprojection adapted to strike one of said plates and restrict themovement of said lever.

2. In a locking-clamp, the combination with a support including theparts to be clamped, of a pair of bolts extended through the support andeach having a head on one of its ends and screw-threads near its otherend, a plate uniting said bolts at their headed portions, a pair ofplates loosely mountand having a projection adapted to strike ed on saidbolts near their other ends, said one of said plates of said pair torestrict the plates having their adjacent surfaces plain movement ofsaid lever.

or flat a nut on the screw-threaded portion ISRAEL L. LANDIS. of eachbolt, and a Wedge-shaped lever ful- Witnesses:

crumed on one of said bolts and positioned CHAS. C. TILLMAN,

to be interposed between said pair of plates A. S. PHLLLIPs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

